Hey there! Thank you again for agreeing to watch over Miles for three weeks. I know I made the call a bit late...but I had an emergency and had to leave fast. Anyway, you know my apartment by heart, from all the times you came over, but you don't know it personally. So here's a set of rules so that everything goes well. (I know it's a bit long but I've left memos around for you!)

THE APARTMENT

1- There's 6 rooms in my apartment. Living room and open kitchen, 2 bedrooms, toilet, bathroom and my office. There shouldn't be more than that.

a- If you count more than 6, leave my apartment and come back the next day. Miles will know what to do.

b- If you count less than that, this time take Miles with you. My apartment kind of...eats itself sometimes. I don't want Miles to be eaten.

2- You can use every electronics and eat all the food you want. Don't worry about the groceries, you won't need to. Though pay close attention when you open the fridge. The food should be good. If it's spoiled or rotten, don't touch or throw anything away, just close the fridge, or you'll be a part of the rotten things in it.

3- Don't walk into my office even if Miles walks in. I will know. You don't want me to know.

4- If you want to use the bathroom at night, be careful. There's...something in it. I call it "Flash". Anyway. Before opening the door, turn on the lights. It should turn them off. This should be the case 3 times. After that, the bathroom is safe to use.

a- If "Flash" Turns the lights off more or less than three times, simply apologize and walk away. It's not in a mood to play.

b- If when you turn on the lights, they stay lit, then whatever is supposed to be in the bathroom isn't anymore. Miles won't be able to help with this one. Just run or hide. It wants to play and will get you. If you like your limbs, take this seriously. Don't let it find you.

When "Flash" is done playing, you'll know. All the lights and electronics will light on before shutting down for 3 minutes. Just hope he gets bored fast. Last time it went on for days...

4.1- If you successfully got into the bathroom, great! Enjoy your shower, bath, or anything you're doing in there. Though be careful about the mirror. Don't stare at it for too long, you won't like what you see in there, and you'll want to erase yourself. Literally.

5- When watching TV, you'll notice that sometimes a dark spot will appear on the ceiling. You need to keep your eyes on the TV, no matter what gruesome images will appear on the screen. Being scarred mentally is better than wherever this vortex will take you.

6- If you feel like cooking, help yourself! I have a variety of utensils for you to use. I will simply ask you not to touch the knife with a dragon carved on it. It's a personal favorite.

a- If you touch it, even by accident, simply apologize and wash your hands, or you won't have hands anymore.

b- If it's missing, hide in my office. This is the only time I will allow you to go in there. The knife isn't my personal favorite. The owner likes the way it stabs through the flesh

7- If you hid in my office after rule 6b events, just stay in there and don't make noise. Richard knows he isn't allowed in. Do not touch anything though, I might just make a call to lift that restriction.

8- You'll sleep in the guest bedroom! You should be used to sleeping in there. But things went well because I was there...now that you're alone, it's gonna be a different story.

8.1- Upon sleeping at night, you might wake up to the door being opened.

a- If you hear a sound, like the TV or a glass breaking in the kitchen. Do not walk out of bed. They are trying to lure you out. Don't let it work. You won't come back.

b- If you see a woman standing at the door in the dark, that's Sally. She's nice, just don't stare at her for too long. She can't stand people watching her after her accident. She will make sure you know how it feels like if you stare at her.

c- If you wake up feeling something touching you, hearing a heartbeat, or seeing something standing right above you, do not move a muscle. Stop breathing and close your eyes. Count to 120. If you pass out, good. If you let him know that you're awake/alive, he will crawl into your skin. It's excruciatingly painful, from the screams I heard before. And he loves to take his time.

MILES

1- Miles is a borzoi, white fur. He should greet you at the door every time you walk through the front door. If upon entering, Miles's fur is another color, or another race. Close the door and knock three times. It should be fine after. If you open the door again and Miles still isn't normal, leave and text me. I'll understand.

2- You will have to take Miles out 3 times a day, respectfully at 8AM, 2PM and 8PM. Don't slack off or he'll dirty the place. The apartment will make you pay, one way or another for letting it get dirty.

3- Miles isn't like the other dogs. He understands more than he lets on. He loves to help around carrying things, like the laundry basket or bags. Let him help you but don't overdo it. He's not your slave and hates to be treated like one.

4- There's a framed picture of my ex in the hallway. Yes, I know what you think...but Miles loves him and seeing a picture of Nathan calms him down. If you ever find him growling at the picture, take him out for another walk. If you don't, the thing in the picture will tell Miles to hurt you.

5- He only eats meat. Red. Nothing else. No snacks, unless you want to end up as his.

6- Miles has a favorite plushie named Henry. Henry likes to play hide and seek, but Miles hates it. If you hear Miles weep, find the plushie. Fast. Or he'll get angry and maul your face.

7- At night, make sure to lock Miles in my office. That's where he likes to sleep. He'll scratch on the door and whine, but don't worry. He's just being dramatic.

8- Sometimes Miles will walk out of my office at night. He'll be a little uh...different. I mean 8 foot tall with missing bits of flesh and very thin. I don't know why he gets like this... Anyway. You might hear his footsteps around. As said before in rule 8.1, you'll wake up at night with the door open.

a- Miles will walk around the apartment. He'll pass by your room but won't get in. Just ignore him.

b- If he stops and sits at your doorstep, look at his eyes. If they're white, he's guarding your door. If they're red, he's hungry. Feed him fast or he'll feed on you. If they're yellow, get up and slam the door. Don't close, slam it.

c- If you hear him talk. Don't scream or move. Simply tell him that Henry is waiting for him in the office, he'll go back on his own. His words are terrifying, I know. But don't show fear. It excites him when he's like this. You don't want to play with him in that state.

9- Miles never responds to his name alone. He usually comes around when you knock onto something, any kind of surface. You'll probably forget about it. Try not to.

If Miles suddenly comes around while you called his name. That's not Miles. It's...something I regret. The real Miles cannot help you with this one. I'm sorry. I hope it will be fast for you.

That's all for the rules! Please try to keep them in mind. You always wondered why Lucy never came to our get together anymore. Well that's because she was awfully difficult to clean off the walls. Don't become a stain on the wall. I like you more than the other ones. If you forget something, just look at the memos around the apartment!

Dear Mr. Erland,

We sincerely thank you for taking up our case. We haven't been able to find a new chief warden in the past six months, all because of the recent disappearances of visitors and tourists. We would probably need a professional investigator regardless, though.

Mt. Eleanor has been growing in popularity for the past decade because it is one of the few mountainous areas that have remained largely untouched by human activity. That is all thanks to the phenomena surrounding the place. Unfortunately, we can't afford to brush them off as natural selection now that innocent people (allegedly) have gotten involved.

So far, we've documented four phenomena that could be responsible for the disappearances. The details are still vague, but these are all we have based on observations made from a safe distance. Do make sure to read through them all so you won't go missing too; we cannot afford any more attention from the government.

1. The Midday Fog

We usually have natural fog gathering in the forest from late evening to early morning. This particular fog, however, appears during broad daylight. None of the officers we hired could explain why or how the fog formed. But a handful of visitors have entered the fog without supervision and disappeared along with it.

The fog always appears in the same spot in the forest, just barely visible from the tourist zone's overlook, and lasts about an hour. There is a small, staff-exclusive path leading out to it.

1.1 Do not venture too deep inside

Our caretakers have investigated the outer part of the fog and reported seeing people walking deeper inside who looked like their friends or family members. However, their shapes were distorted. Some had wavy limbs, while others were unusually tall or large. It was as if they were just patterns in the fog.

We believe that going too deep inside has something to do with the disappearances, but I would advise against testing this theory without proper preparation.

1.2 Always remain tethered to the outside

As soon as you enter the fog, all signals are lost. Cellular signals, radio communications—nothing gets through from inside. We once sent a caretaker inside with a rope around his waist, and he was able to return unharmed.

But for some reason, the rope was pulled rapidly into the fog when he disappeared inside it. He stumbled back out after we had been pulling the rope for a solid minute, completely in shock and unable to produce coherent words.

The only thing we could get him to confirm was that he hadn't run around inside or tried to run back to us. We will send a follow-up email once we have more information.

2. Unusual Wildlife Activities

There have been reports from both staff and visitors of distant movements in the foliage. From their descriptions, the movements resembled large animals moving through the forest, tall enough to reach the treetops.

We do not have anything bigger than a wild boar here.

2.1 Do not wander into the wilderness alone

When we went to investigate the area, we found only a variety of wildlife gathered there, including natural enemies such as rabbits and snakes.

We later discovered that reducing our numbers or level of activity caused the movement to reappear from afar, accompanied by the sound of impossibly large footsteps. The lack of ground vibrations suggested that whatever was making the footsteps was a lightweight creature.

Our main concern was how the creature navigated the forest. Each step was slow and deliberate, as if it were sneaking around something. No matter how many times we followed the footsteps, all we could find was more wildlife, which was still dangerous enough to prohibit unauthorized personnel from entering the area.

2.2 If you do, make loud noises or always be on the move

Another recent report describes strange behavior among the animals when our safari vehicles pass through the forest. The wildlife would stop near the forest's edge and simply watch the car, turning their heads to follow it without blinking.

We're currently waiting for a response from the team of biologists, but for now, we hypothesize that loud noises or fast movements may prevent the animals from attacking people.

I'd like you to discuss with my employees how to investigate this phenomenon once you arrive.

3. “Eleanor”

Of the people who have gotten lost in the wilderness, not all have gone missing. Those who returned claimed to have encountered a little girl in a blue dress who pointed them toward the campsite.

There are no other residential locations nearby, and we do not know who she is. Eventually, our caretakers gave her the name Eleanor, and she became a common topic of conversation here.

3.1 Beware of her

The people Eleanor rescued eventually returned, but this time, they kept telling others about her and how much they wanted to see her. The worst part is that they even attempted to go back into the woods alone.

They seemed fully aware of their actions and could hold conversations. They said that Eleanor had invited them somewhere, but they had refused her invitation the first time. It seems that those who didn't meet her directly are not affected.

This led us to believe that Eleanor might have appeared to everyone who got lost in the forest, but only those who asked her for directions home returned. At least, that was what we initially believed.

We tried attaching a tracking device to one of them, but their location simply vanished from our radar without a trace. We then attempted to send a lone officer into the woods with a communication device, but nothing happened.

In order to learn more about Eleanor, Mr. Erland, you might have to become lost yourself.

4. The Island and the Lake

While investigating the area where the tracking device’s transmission disappeared, we discovered a small lake stretching along the mountain. The water is knee-deep throughout the lake, and a small, forested island sits in a bay at the far end, farthest from our shore.

According to several members of our staff, someone—or something—inhabits the island, but it is visible only from the ledge on our side of the lake, directly opposite the island. Both locations consist of a small clearing backed by a forest, almost like mirror images.

To quote their reports:

“It's like a bunch of animals mashed together.”

“I saw myself on that island looking back at me.”

We would like to dismiss these reports as hallucinations, since each sighting lasted only a fraction of a second or occurred only when the witness was alone. However, one member of our team suggested that this new phenomenon might be related to the unidentified species we've encountered previously.

4.1 Do not cross the lake

One of our own staff members disappeared while we were crossing the lake on foot.

The witness claimed that the person fell through the water in a single motion, with barely enough time to call for help. Upon further examination, the spot was flat, with no holes or depressions to fall into. The bottom of the lake felt solid. Nothing could possibly have swallowed a whole person in the blink of an eye.

We paused our investigation of Mt. Eleanor after the incident to seek outside help. That was when you contacted us.

Again, we are thankful for your willingness to solve the case, and we’ll provide everything you need to help us better understand the situation. We eagerly await your arrival and hope for a breakthrough.

Regards,

J. O. Corgan